


All Shades of The Night

by dragonflare137



Category: Pandora Hearts
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-09
Updated: 2015-08-08
Packaged: 2018-03-11 07:05:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3318479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonflare137/pseuds/dragonflare137
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Break didn't think much about being sent to a little town to deal with an illegal contractor. But when a little thief weasels her way into his life, he really doesn't know what to do when she just won't leave him alone, but of course she feels the same way about him. BreakXOC</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Stars glistened in the sky and the chilled air blew lazily through the calm night. The only noises that could be heard were the soft movements of nocturnal people in their homes and small animals shuffling about in the streets of the small town Belidora. One would suspect that no one would think to disturb the innocent calm of this peaceful night. They would be wrong.

The soft patter of feet echoed quietly in the air as a hooded figure ran quickly through the alleyways. Behind it came many men, all of whom walked without very little grace. Their footsteps resounded loudly on the hard stony path they were on as they ran in pursuit of the much quicker hooded figure.

"Come back here girl," one of the men shouted.

"You can't run forever you damn thief," hollered another.

The thief giggled and continued to run away despite their "convincing" demands. She looked at the wrapped package in her hand held it close to her person in a possessive manner. She peered up and stopped dead in her tracks.

"Looks like I ran us right into a dead end," she said cheerily despite the situation. The footsteps behind her grew louder and she turned around to see the large mob closing in on her. The smile on her face never faltered as she was backed into a corner.

"You have nowhere to run now girl," growled one of the men. "Now give yourself up and pay for your crimes."

"But what have I done wrong?" asked the girl, fake innocence dripping from every word.

"You stupid bitch you know exactly what you have done," shouted another man, his deep voice booming the small alleyway.

"Hey that's mean!" exclaimed the girl as she pretended to be hurt from his comment.

"Just shut up will you and come with us," said the same man who was most likely the leader of the mob. "You have been stealing from this town and now you start killing innocent people. You will hang for this."

"Killed people?" replied the girl with sincere confusion in her voice. "I haven't killed anybody."

"Like we should believe you!" yelled the man. "Come on now men, grab her."

"Sorry boys, but I won't go with you when you have accused me of a crime that I didn't do," replied the girl happily, but a slight solemn tone could be faintly heard. The men rushed at the girl and with one last chuckle at them the girl disappeared into thin air.

"God damn it!" yelled the leader. "How the hell does she do that? Let's try and find that little bitch." The rest of the mob shouted in agreement and left the alleyway to hunt for their prey. What they failed to notice was the lithe shape sitting on the roof of a building right next to the alleyway gazing down at them.

"Those guys will never learn will they?" giggled the girl as she watched them until they were out of her range of sight.

"I guess not," said a small disembodied voice in response.

"And they will never out how I disappear like that," said the girl. She set the package down in her lap and stretched her arms high above her head.

"That's because they will never find out about me," replied the voice in a prideful manner.

"Hehe that's right," said the girl. "That's because you are the stealthiest chain in existence."

"That's what I like to think," said the chain.

"It's true and don't let anyone tell you any different Shade," replied the girl happily.

"Hey Di, I know this is a bit off topic, but why do you think they accused you of murder."

Di smiled sadly and said, "I don't know but I would never kill anybody."

"Well I know you wouldn't and it's not right that they put the blame onto you," replied Shade stubbornly.

"It can't be helped," sighed Di as she carefully unwrapped the package and pulled out the small apple hidden inside. Biting into the fruit, she gazed up into the sky and whispered softly.

"If only they would understand that a shadow doesn't kill."


	2. Chapter 1: Small Town Troubles

Today was a normal day at the Rainsworth manor. The sun was shining bright and the flowers in the garden were in full bloom. The perfect atmosphere for a tea party. Well, it would have been perfect if it wasn't for a certain whiny clown.

"But Milady I don't wannaaaa~"

This said clown was sitting at a table and pouting at a certain lady who was situated across from him. The lady took a quick sip of her tea before she decided to address the clown.

"Break, please do not argue about this."

A raven haired man that sat under a tree near the table turned toward the two and asked, "What's Break whining about now Sharon?"

"My my Gilbert, shouldn't you be tending to Oz and Miss Alice instead of asking about me~," chided Break. This little comment earned him a large bump on the head.

"Now now Break you shouldn't say things like that," said Sharon as she tucked one of her infamous paper fans away in her dress. She then turned to Gil and said, "Break was assigned a mission and he is being difficult and lazy."

"A mission? What kind?" asked Gilbert giving his full attention to Sharon.

"What a nosy little birdie!," teased Emily, earning her and Break another smack in the head.

"Just ignore them Gil," said Sharon. "There have been many murders in the town of Belidora and I have asked Break to go and investigate to see if it is the work of an illegal contractor."

"Belidora? I've never heard of it before," said Gilbert.

"Break, it would be in your best interest to keep your mouth shut," warned Sharon as she saw him open his mouth to comment. For once he did as he was told and clamped his mouth shut. Sharon looked back at Gil and said, "I don't blame you I hadn't known of it before today either. It's a very small town a few hours away from here. Not many visit there and obviously it is not very well known."

"If it's a small town then it wouldn't be too hard to find the contractor, so what's the problem Break?" asked Gil.

"My you ask many questions don't you," said Break. "Well if you have to know I just don't want to go~."

"How lazy can you get," grumbled Gilbert.

"You are so mean to me Gil," replied Break as he shed fake tears. Gil simply glared at the man before turning his attention back to Sharon and ignoring the looks Break was giving him.

"If Break won't go then I guess the Stupid Rabbit, Oz and I could go and deal with it," offered Gil, but Sharon shook her head.

"Thank you for offering, but I want Break to go," replied Sharon. "He needs to get out of the mansion every once in a while." Sharon gave Gil a look that told him all that he need to know and he nodded in understanding. Ever since they had returned from the meeting with Barma a few days ago, Break had been had been a lot quieter then he usually was. Even though Sharon had no idea what had happened, she could sense that Break was a little down and want to cheer him up. She thought that if Break just had a little time on his own then he would get over whatever it was that was bringing him down and a mission was a perfect excuse to get him out of the house.

"By the way Gilbert," said Break. "Where is Oz anyway? I would think that you would be with him and Miss Alice right now."

"He ran after the Stupid Rabbit after she went to go and look for some meat," replied Gil. "They should be coming back anytime now."

"Don't get off topic Break," said Sharon sternly. "Now you will leave for Belidora in two hours."

"But Miladyy-." Break was cut short as Sharon pulled out her fan again and smacked him on the side of the head.

"You know better than to argue with me Break. It's high time you got out and did something and you know I'm right about this," said Sharon. Break simply pouted and then nodded his head reluctantly.

"Very well Milady."

The ride to Belidora was quiet and uncomfortably bumpy. Seeing as Break was the only one in the carriage and Emily wasn't the best when it came to clean conversation, he remained silent for most of the trip. There was the occasion when the driver informed him on their progress to the town, but that was really all that was said the whole time. It was obvious to Break that the road they traveled on wasn't used often because it was the constant bumps in the road were actually starting to make him feel sick.

Though it was a boring ride, it doesn't mean that Break wasn't preoccupied. He couldn't help but think about the real reason Sharon sent him on this little mission. She was quite persistent about sending him and Break knew that she wouldn't do that without a good reason. Ever since returning from the meeting with Barma, Break couldn't get the events that happened out of his mind. Revisiting his past was both mentally and physically draining and he was still recovering.

"Milady must have noticed my condition and thinks that this will help," thought Break. "Oh my, that girl amazes me sometimes with her silly plans."

Break chuckled to himself softly when the carriage driver said, "Mr. Break we have arrived in Belidora." Break acknowledged him with a nod and looked out at the town. It was bigger than Break had anticipated, but it was still a great deal smaller then Reveille. Belidora consisted mostly of small stone buildings which were most likely homes or small businesses. There were a few larger buildings, but they were scarce and spread out across the town. All the buildings were close together and the streets were quite thin (not to mention a great deal smoother then the road leading to the town). Luckily there weren't many people on the streets and the carriage was able to pass without any problem.

As the carriage approached a large building with a sign on it that said "Inn," Break felt it come to a stop. He opened the door and stepped out onto the stony pavement before turning to the carriage driver.

"I should be done by tomorrow so pick me up at around noon kaayyyy~," said Break with a goofy grin on his face. The driver nodded and left Break to do his business (As a driver for the Rainsworth family he was more then used to Break by now).

As he entered the Inn, Break noted that the place had a bit of an eerie feeling to it. Not only was the place dimly lit, but things just didn't seem right at all. The medieval look to it didn't help but make it look more like a tavern instead of an inn. Small stone tables were scattered about the room with a few wooden chairs at each. At the far end of the room there was a long wooden counter that seemed to be the main desk.

Ignoring the almost hostile looks that the people in the inn were giving him, Break made his way over to the main desk. He was about to ring the little bell on the desk when a man out walked out of the door that was behind the counter. He was a tall, burly man with a short beard, a bald head, a cold look in his eye, and a frown on his face. He noticed Break and walked over to him.

"You must be the man that I was told about. A Mr. Xerxes Break if I'm correct," said the man. Break couldn't help but laugh lightly as the man gave him a strange look when he spotted Emily.

"Yes, you can just call me Break," he replied. "And you must be the owner of this place."

"I am," replied the man coldly. He dug in his pocket and pulled out a small key. "This is the key to your room. It's just up the stairs on the left, Room 210." He fixed a glare onto Break and, in a rude manner, asked, "Now what exactly are you doing here in Belidora?"

"If all the people in this town are like this man then that explains why this town is visited rarely," thought Break before he answered the man. "Well if you insist on knowing, I'm just here to investigate the string of murders that have occurred. And since you have so 'kindly' asked me why I am here, maybe you can give some information about the whole situation~."

The Innkeeper snorted and said, "So you are just a nosy tourist who wants to get involved with our town affairs eh? Well fine it's your death wish."

"Death wish? I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean."

"Many people from out of town have come to deal with the murderous thief that plagues our town and each one of them were killed trying to apprehend her," growled the Innkeeper.

"Hmm well that is troublesome, buuuut I think I can take care of myself~," replied Break. "Now you said that the murder was a thief correct? Does that mean you know who is committing the crime?"

The Innkeeper gave him a skeptical look, but continued anyway. "The whole town knows who did it. We would have arrested her already if she wasn't so damn hard to catch."

"And why would that be?" asked Break who was finally interested in what the man was telling him.

"Every time we corner her or get close to catching her, she just disappears into thin air. We don't understand how she does it, but we do know that we can't catch her when she has that ability," said the Innkeeper.

"That does complicate things a bit," replied Break. "What else can you tell me about this thief?"

"She has been stealing from this town for years and lives in the old burned down manor on the outskirts of town," replied the Innkeeper. "That's all that I can tell you about that damn thief."

"An old manor you say? Do you know who used to live there?"

"Some noble family that used to run some sort of business. Many years ago their home was set on fire by an arsonist and they were caught inside. After that, many people left the town and few people visit anymore. As a result, not many people remember the family," explained the Innkeeper.

"Do you know anyone who remembers them?" asked Break. Even though it had nothing to do with the thief herself, Break was quite curious about this massacred family.

"I know of only one person," answered the man. "Her name is Elizabeth Forman. From what I heard she knew the family personally. Unfortunately, the woman has gone mad in her old age and speaks nothing but nonsense, but if you still want to speak with her, she sits under the largest tree in the garden at the center of town."

"Oh she's mad eh? Well then we will get along juuuust fine~," said Break as a creepy smile stretched across his face.

The man glared at Break again with a disgusted look on his face as he said, "Whatever, suit yourself. Now are you done questioning me?"

"Yes that is all… for now," said Break as he turned and walked toward the exit of the Inn, chuckling to himself. "That man seems suspicious to me," thought Break. "I will have to keep a close eye on him during my investigation…"


	3. Chapter 2: Chat with A Mad Women?

Belidora proved to be quite a peaceful and welcoming town, unlike its Inn. Break noticed that the few people that wandered the street during this time of day (It was late afternoon since he had left the Rainsworth house hold around noon) kept mostly to themselves, but bowed their heads as a silent greeting. The shops in the town square were starting to close, but some remained open for those who were still out and about.

To Break, the garden in the center of town was actually quite beautiful (Even though vegetation rarely impressed him). Flower patches lined the thin dirt paths that led throughout the garden. There were many large trees were scattered around in no specific pattern. At the very center of the garden was a tree that towered over every other one. Its roots spread around the back of itself that created a cage like dome while its front was bare.

In front of the tree is where Break saw a small old woman sitting. She looked quite frail and thin, but the elegant air about her made it seem like she was full of life. She wasn't wearing very fancy clothing, but she didn't seem like she was poor. Her short black hair swayed in the breeze and her eyes were closed contently as if she were enjoying the silence and serenity around her. As Break walked closer, her eyes opened lazily as she turned her head towards him and gave him a smile.

"Why hello there young man can I help you with anything?" she asked sweetly.

Break chuckled and said, "It has been a long time since anyone has called me a young man."

"Yeah he's old, he's old~," chided Emily.

The old woman laughed at Emily's antics and simply said, "That little doll is a bit cynical isn't she?"

"Please pay no mind to Emily, she tends to say things like that Miss Elizabeth," relied Break.

"Ah you know my name?" asked Elizabeth. "I guess that probably means you are looking for me is that right?"

"That is correct madam," said Break. "I have come to ask you a few questions about the old manor on the outskirts of town."

"Alright ask away," replied Elizabeth. "But first why don't you sit down here next to me and tell me your name before we start."

"Oh yes how rude of me. My name is Xerxes Break, but you can just call me Break," he said as he took a seat next to the old woman.

"What a strange name, I've never heard one like it," commented Elizabeth with a small chuckle. "Now it just sounds like I'm insulting you."

"I take no offense to that madam," replied Break. "People tell me that quite a lot~."

"Well that's good," she said sweetly. "Now to get back on track, what is it that you want to know?"

"I just seek information about the family that lived there, what your relation with them was, and the thief that resides in the place now."

"Hmm none of those questions come with simple answers," answered the woman.

"I didn't think they would," said Break. "I have time to listen to whatever you have to say regarding these questions. The more that I know the better off I will be."

"Alright then I will start off with the family, but first I must ask what you already know so that I don't repeat things that have already been said by someone else," replied Elizabeth.

"The only thing that I know is that the family was killed in a fire," answered Break.

"Oh my, that isn't very much is it? Well I guess I have a lot to explain," said Elizabeth as she took a deep breath and began.

"The families name was Lunair. They were the earldom that watched over this town. The head of the family was Alexander Lunair and he was married to Sandra Lunair. They had a young daughter as well and her name was Diana. The family owned a chain of bakeries that were scattered across the state and of course their main building was here in Belidora. When they died nearly all the bakeries were shut down except for the one here. It is now run by my son and his family. Now about 28 years ago, while the family was sleeping, the manor was set on fire and they were trapped inside, as you already know. No one, not even any of the servants made it out alive. After that the entire town became paranoid and people began to leave. Luckily, others have replaced those who left, but that horrible night has still left its mark on this town."

"You must have been close to the family if they left you their business," commented Break.

"Yes I was," answered Elizabeth solemnly. "And that goes into your second question. Sandra was my eldest daughter. They were my family."

"I'm sorry to hear that and I must apologize if my questioning has brought up any bad memories," said Break. He felt bad because he knew what it was like to have memories that he'd rather not remember resurface in his mind.

"No, no it's just fine," replied Elizabeth in a more cheery tone. "It was a long time ago and time has passed. It was difficult when it first happened, but I knew my daughter wouldn't be happy if I let their passing weigh me down. And if you are wondering why I wasn't in the house with them, it's because I lived here in Belidora. We weren't a very rich family and it was fate that brought those two together. After they got married, I stayed here with my son and husband."

"That was a good call on your part." Break covered his mouth and said, "Oh my, did I just say that out loud?"

"Yeah you did you mean old man~" chided Emily.

"Now now Emily don't say such things around other people~" said Break as a vein popped on his head.

Elizabeth just laughed and through her laughter said, "Goodness you are a strange one aren't you?"

"Yep~" replied Break with a smile.

"Now you are probably getting bored with me so I better answer your last question," said Elizabeth.

"On the contrary, you are quite fun to talk to Miss Elizabeth, unlike some people in this town," replied Break, mumbling the last part in an annoyed tone.

"Ah you must be talking about that Innkeeper," commented Elizabeth with a chuckle. "If I could blame the lack of visitors to Belidora on one person it would be him. That man should just sell that place to someone who actually likes interacting with other people."

"I think the only interesting thing he told me was to come to you and what he knows about the thief," replied Break.

"Oh don't listen to him," grumbled Elizabeth. "He has a personal vendetta with that girl and will say anything to make her look like the murder around here."

"And you think differently?" asked Break with a curious look on his face.

"Of course I do," huffed Elizabeth. "I'm the only one in this town who thinks that the thief is innocent of murder. That's why they all call me mad! She has been stealing from this town for nearly 25 years now, why would she start murdering people all of a sudden. It doesn't make any sense and I won't believe she is guilty until I see her kill someone with my own eyes."

"You make a good point," answered Break. He chuckled lightly when he heard Elizabeth mumble,  _"Of course I do,"_ under her breath. "So is there anything else you know about this thief."

"She comes to town every night around midnight and steals something. Nobody ever knows what she takes, but if she is holding a brown package then we know she has something," answered Elizabeth.

"How do not know what she takes?" asked Break.

"Because the girl takes something that won't be missed," replied Elizabeth. "The girl is smart and only takes things that are numerous, making it hard to notice if something was taken. And don't think that I am supporting her thievery, I am just laying out the facts that others fail to realize."

"Well that does change my perception on things," mumbled Break. "Well if you don't mind me asking how do you get to the manor from here?"

"So you are planning to there yourself eh?" asked Elizabeth. When Break nodded his head she sighed and said, "Very well, but you have to promise me that you will do no harm to that girl. She is innocent I tell you and she doesn't deserve to suffer for a crime she didn't commit."

"I only want to ask her some questions if I can find her there. From what I hear she is a tough one to get a hold of," answered Break.

"Alright then," said Elizabeth as she stretched her arm out to her left. "If you go that way there is a road leading out of town. Follow it until you reach a dirt path and follow that path. It will lead you right to the manor. It should take you about 10 minutes to reach it."

"Thank you Miss Elizabeth for your time and help," said Break as he stood to his feet.

"No I should be thanking you for keeping me company this afternoon. People don't usually want to talk with a mad old woman like myself," answered Elizabeth with a slightly annoyed and sarcastic voice.

"I would say the only mad one around here is me~," said Break. "Well it was nice to meet you and I hope you have a nice afternoon madam."

"Good day young man," replied Elizabeth. "And I hope the people in Belidora don't bother you too much during your stay."

Beak laughed and said, "I do hope so as well. Good-bye Miss Elizabeth," She waved good-bye as Break walked in the direction that she had told him to go.

" _Well I would say that went quite well,"_ thought Break.  _"She had a great deal of information that will hopefully prove to be useful in my investigation. Hopefully I will be able to find this thief and get some answers from her as well. But if what Miss Elizabeth said about her was true and she is not the murder, it is still likely that she is an illegal contractor and I will have to bring her in. Oh dear, it would seem that I have quite the mystery on my hands…"_


	4. Chapter 3: Let's Play Tag

The early evening sun cast an amber glow across the forest floor. The leaves rustled softly in the breeze and created shadows that danced gracefully around the forest. To Break it almost seemed like a fantasy world was opening up before him, but he knew that was far from the truth.

Just like Elizabeth said, the walk to the manor was relatively short. Almost as soon as he had left town, he found the small dirt path that led into the forest. As he went deeper into the forest, the trees became thicker and he could only see the path in front of him.

After about five minutes of following the path, the manor came into view. From far away it almost looked as if the large building was perfectly fine, but as Break got closer, he could see the damage. There were many holes burned into the exterior and part of the roof looked like it had collapsed in on itself. Most of the windows were broken and the building had been overrun by plants and vines. Break could tell that the building used to be colorful, but it was now blackened by soot and destruction.

Suddenly, Break heard someone starting to sing a dark tune. He was too far away to understand the words, but as he got closer the muffled voice became a little clearer.

_~Now he bleeds all shades of red~_

Break slowly approached the door to the manor, which was hanging on by one hinge. Pushing it open lightly, he ducked around it so it wouldn't break.

_~While the moon bleeds all shades of the night~_

The inside of the manor looked far worse than the outside. The place was completely destroyed. Burnt belongings were strewn everywhere and Break could see the upper level of the manor through a massive hole in the ceiling. The floor was littered with ash and piles of dead leaves.

_~This is the tower where the Princess lies~_

On the far end of the manor, opposite of the front entrance, there was a large stair case that split into two different ones that went left and right. The one that led to the left had completely collapsed and it would be impossible for anyone to climb up. The stairs on the right were a bit more intact, but Break wouldn't risk going up them because they looked unstable. Sitting right above the main stair case was a large mutilated portrait. The only thing that could be seen was half of a man's face and body with his hands on someone's shoulder.

_~This is the tower where the Prince has died~_

The singing started to die down and soon childish giggling replaced it. From where Break was, he could tell that the laughter was coming from the upper level.

"Hello is anyone there?" called Break. As if on cue, the laughing stopped and Break could hear light footsteps echoing through air. All of a sudden, a hooded head poked out from the hole in the ceiling.

"Hey look someone came to visit us! No one ever comes to visit us anymore!" chirped the girl in a cheery voice.

"Hello there! Are you the one that lives here~?" questioned Break as he looked at her.

"Yep!" answered the girl happily. "I've never seen you around. Are you new to town?"

"Yes I just came for a visit," replied Break.

"Oh I get it. You must be one of the people who have come to get rid of the murderer in town," said the girl.

"Ah you're a smart girl aren't you? Yes I came to deal with this town problem," answered Break.

"Well you are looking in the wrong place," said the girl, her cheery tone starting to falter.

"It depends on how you look at it," replied Break. "If we want to get technical this town has  _two_  problems. I'm in the right place if I'm dealing with the theft problem. As for the murderer, well that's what I'm here to figure out."

"So you aren't accusing me of murder?" asked the girl curiously.

"No I just want to ask you some questions about it," answered Break. "And I would prefer that you be honest with your responses, I don't want to have to get rough."

"If it helps clear my name then I would be glad to answer your questions," replied the girl.

"First if it wouldn't be any trouble can you tell me your name?" asked Break.

The girl tapped her chin and then replied with a short "Nope~. I don't tell people my name."

"Well it was worth a try~," muttered Emily.

The girl giggled and said, "I've never heard a doll talk before. That's really cool."

"That's because I'm one of a kind girl~!" replied Emily.

"She's funny too," said the girl through her laughter.

"Now now Emily, we have work to do, ~" scolded Break. "So if you won't tell me your name, then can you tell me why you steal from the town in the first place?"

"That's an easy one," answered the girl. "It's the only thing that I know how to do. I mean I'm not stupid or anything, but I've been doing this for a long time and I can't see myself doing anything else. I know it's bad and all, but it's not like I take anything important from people. I don't understand why they make such a big deal out of it."

"Those are terrible reasons~" chided Emily.

The girl simply laughed and said in an almost somber tone, "Well those are the only ones that I've got."

"Emily we aren't here to criticize her answers, we are just here to get them," sighed Break. "Now my next question for you is, why should I believe you when you say you aren't the one causing the murders instead of the townsfolk who think you are."

"Because it's not me!" shouted the girl in anger. Break nearly winced in surprise from her harsh tone. "Killing other people for no reason is terrible and I would never do that kind of thing. I couldn't."

"That didn't really answer my question, but I suppose it will have to do for now," said Break. "Next I want to know how long you have been contracted to your chain."

"What are you talking about?" replied the girl cautiously. Break could tell that she was trying to hide something, but she was doing a very poor job at it.

"I have been told that you are able to disappear into thin air," answered Break. "I have a very extensive knowledge about these kinds of things and I can correctly guess that you are able to do this due to the powers of a chain~."

"Well I guess you got me," sighed the girl. "I do have a chain, but I won't tell you anymore on the subject unless you catch me."

"Catch you?" asked Break

"Yep! You have to capture me before I answer any more questions," replied the girl. "But I've got to warn you, I'm pretty hard to get a hold of. In fact, the only reason I decided to talk to you is because I thought you looked interesting. Turns out of I was right~."

"Is that so? Well then I will gladly participate in this game of tag," answered Break.

"Yay! Then we can start tonight," said the girl. "I'll be in town when the moon is at its highest. The murderer usually shows up around that time to. So I guess that means you can hit two birds with one stone if you play your cards right."

"I look forward to it~," replied Break.

"Oh and I must warn you," said the girl quickly. "People like you who come to Belidora are usually targeted by the murderer. If things go like they have before, then you will be his target for tonight."

"I am well aware of that Miss," answered Break. "What the murderer doesn't know is that I can take good care of myself. Finding him will be the only problem he gives me."

"You seem confident in yourself," mumbled the girl. "That could be the end of you."

"My confidence is backed by my skills," answered Break. "You can trust me on that."

"Well then I wish you good luck stranger," said the girl. "You are going to need it if you want to catch me~." She giggled and, without waiting for a response from Break, disappeared from his sight.

Break chuckled to himself as he turned to leave the burnt manor. Before he left, he took one last look at the portrait and thought, " _Darn, I never got to ask why she decided to live in this trashed place."_ He shrugged his shoulders at the thought and exited the same way he came in. As he was walking away, he started to hear the girl beginning to sing the same tune she did when he arrived.

~ _Here is the tower where the Princess lies_

_Here is the tower where the Prince will die_

_Up in the tower, a Princess he will find_

_Up in the tower where she pays no mind_

_Pays no mind to the world that circles her_

_Pays no mind to the Prince that comes for her_

_From the window she sees the Prince climb_

_In the window he sees the Princess look sublime_

_She smiles as he waves in greeting_

_She smiles as he screams while falling_

_Now he bleeds all shades of red_

_While the moon bleeds all shades of the night_

_This is the tower where the Princess lies_

_This is the tower where the Prince has died.~_

" _I'm ready for whatever you have planned for me girl. Don't hold anything back because I sure won't be."_

* * *

" _So who are we going to get tonight?"_

" _That nosy investigator of course you stupid thing!"_

" _Oh yes him, I can't wait to see his blood run."_

" _He isn't the only one we will be feasting on tonight my pet."_

" _Who else do you have in mind?"_

" _How about that mad old woman? She's a nuisance. We should have dealt with you long ago."_

" _But chasing an old woman is no fun! The hunt will be too quick."_

" _I could care less about your wants. You are my contractor and if you want to change the past you will listen to my orders."_

" _Yes of course. I guess killing that man will make up for it."_

" _All we have to do is sit and wait my pet. He will come right to us…."_


	5. Chapter 4: Night's Embrace

Time went by agonizingly slow, but night eventually came and the moon began to inch higher into the sky. Moonlight shone brightly from the full moon casting a blissful glow across the forest. Even the dreadful manor had an almost peaceful air about it under the moons watchful eye. To most it would seem like they had entered a dream, but to the girl that sat alone in the manor this was all too familiar.

Staring up into the sky through one of the many holes in the roof, the thief had many thoughts running through her head. She sighed lightly and turned her head when she heard some footsteps on the moldy floorboards. From the shadows she saw two beady silver eyes peering at her.

"Shade, what are you doing over there?"

"Nothing Di, I'm just sitting over here," answered the chain in a small voice.

"Well why don't you come over here," suggested Di. Shade blinked her eyes twice before started to slink out of the darkness. Di watched as the small, shadowy, fox-like chain slowly walked towards her and sat in her lap.

"Hey what's the matter Shade?" asked Di in a concerned manner. "You aren't usually like this."

"I guess I'm just a bit worried Di," answered Shade. "The red-eyed man scares me a little."

"How come?" asked Di. "He didn't seem so bad to me."

"That's because you can't smell his chain," answered Shade.

"That guy has a chain? Really, what kind?"

"The worst kind!" shrieked Shade as she climbed up to look Di right in the eye. "He's contracted to the Mad Hatter, the chain that was born to kill other chains!"

"How do you know that?" asked Di.

"I can smell it on him Di," answered the chain. "I would recognize that smell from anywhere in the world. He is definitely the contractor of the Mad Hatter!"

"Oh that is pretty bad," muttered Di. "Well he wasn't mean to us when he was here. He actually acted civil and treated me like I was human being instead of a murderer or a thief."

"I guess, but I still don't like him," answered Shade. "Anyway why are you defending him, he is trying to capture us?"

"No we are playing a game of tag remember," answered Di. "Now he may have this all-powerful chain, but I have you and that's all I need to win. We have never been caught before and I don't plan on being caught tonight."

"I trust you Di," replied Shade.

Suddenly, the room lit up. Di looked up and saw the moon hovering above them. She laughed and said, "The moon is at its highest now. It's time to head out."

Shade nodded and climbed onto Di's shoulder as she stood to her feet. Hopping down through the hole in the ceiling, Di pushed her way through the front door and began her journey towards the town. She ran swiftly through the forest and soon she was able to see the rooftops of various buildings. Her footsteps became louder as soft grass turned into bricked roads. Not wanting to stay on the ground for too long, Di searched for a building that was easy to climb. She spotted one that had a pipe that went to the top and ran over to it. Grabbing onto the pipe with a firm grip, Di easily and quickly scaled up it.

Once she was on the top of the roof, Di took a quick look at her surroundings. She slowly made her way to the other end of the building, and looked down at the streets below her. There was no one in sight, but Di was still cautious. She took a few steps backwards, ran at full speed towards the edge and jumped through the air to the next rooftop. Landing softly on the other side, Di continued to jump from roof to roof until she reached her destination.

" _Here we are Shade,"_ said Di through the mind link that she shared with the chain.  _"Keep your eye out for anybody or anything."_

" _Got it,"_ answered Shade as she disappeared from sight.

Di looked down at the small fruit stand that was sitting right below her. Silently and gracefully, she dropped down onto the thin ledge that rested just above the stand. After taking a quick look around her once again, she slowly reached down and tugged on the brown sheet covering the fruit, but only moving it enough to see the bounty under it. Di quickly grabbed two apples from the large stack and moved the sheet back into its original spot.

Lifting herself back up onto the rooftop, Di pulled out a brown cloth out from her pocket and wrapped the apples tightly into a small package. Holding it close to her body, she looked around once again and a felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

" _This was way too easy,"_ thought DI.  _"There are usually groups of people patrolling the streets at night looking for me."_

" _Hey Di something doesn't seem right,"_ said Shade suddenly. " _I haven't seen anyone, not one person. I'm getting a really bad feeling about this."_

" _I was thinking the same thing Shade,"_ replied Di.  _"I really don't like this."_

All of a sudden, a blood-curdling shriek pierced the chilled night air. Di's head shot up and turned towards the sound of the cry.

"What was that?" cried Di. "Shade, we have to go check it out. That could be the murderer!"

Shade appeared next to Di and nodded, but didn't answer. Di began to jump from rooftop to rooftop towards the sound of the scream. As she neared the place where she thought the screech had come from, the air seemed to become suffocating and thick. A horrible smell in the air made Di's stomach feel queasy. It only took her a moment to realize that the smell was blood.

"Do you smell that Shade?" asked Di. If Shade answered, Di wasn't paying attention to it, because the scene below her caught her full attention. Blood was splattered everywhere on the smooth stone. A small crumpled body lay in the middle of the large pool. The dress that she wore was shredded, destroyed and soaked in blood. Her black hair was matted, yet the look on the old woman's face was frozen in a peaceful gaze.

"No…no it can't be," whispered Di as she fell to her knees. "Not her, why did it have to be her."

"Di, who is that lady?" asked Shade, but Di either didn't hear or didn't want to listen. She started to climb down from the building in a frantic manner while Shade followed her down. Di ran to the woman's side and slid down to her knees. Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes started to feel misty.

"This is the only person in the entire town that didn't want me dead Shade," answered Di in a chocked whisper. "Shade, I swear when we find the person who did this I want you to bite them. I know I told you never to bite anyone, but as soon as we find them you bite him hard." Shade said nothing, she only crawled onto Di's lap and rubbed her head against her leg to try and comfort her. The moment didn't last long, because loud, angry voices filled the air.

"The scream came from this way!"

"This has to be that damn thief. She couldn't have gotten far now!"

Di turned around and her eyes grew wide as she saw a huge mob approaching her. Di poked Shade to tell her to conceal herself from the other people, and Shade did as she was told. As soon as they spotted her and the body, their faces contorted in anger. One of the men step forward and Di recognized him as the keeper of the Inn.

"You killed old Miss. Forman! I knew you were the murderer you bitch!" he yelled in rage. "This only proves that you committed all the crimes!"

"It wasn't me," answered Di in a small voice. "I didn't do anything."

"Ha! We all know that's a lie," answered the Innkeeper condescendingly. "You are sitting next to the body and you are carrying that brown package of yours. It is so obvious that you did something you stupid girl."

"Just because I'm next to the body that doesn't mean that I'm the one who killed her," replied Di as her teeth clenched in anger. Normally she was a very composed person, but every word that man said only made her want to punch him even more.

"Just don't even try and run girl," said the Innkeeper. "Give yourself up and pay for the crimes that you have committed."

Di sighed sadly, stood to her feet and said, "I refuse to pay for a crime that I didn't do. I will find the actually murderer and clear my name."

"You can try all you want, but no matter what you say we won't believe you," answered one of the other men in the mob. "All the evidence points to you."

"Well then I will make you believe me," replied Di. She nodded slightly to tell Shade that she was ready to leave. Di felt a small shutter ripple through her body as Shade started to use more of her power. Even though Di couldn't see Shade at all, she knew that the chain's shadows were enveloping her quickly. She couldn't help but smirk when the looks on the faces of the mob changed from anger to surprise and then to anger again.

"Damn it all! She got away again!"

Di struggled not to voice her annoyance and rage at the townsfolk, but she knew better. Sighing inwardly, Di turned and looked at Miss Elizabeth's body before she ran over to a building with many windows and ledges. Jumping up each ledge carefully and trying to not make a noise, Di scaled the building easily and without alerting anyone of her position. Still hidden by Shade's shadows, Di looked down to where she just was and saw that the mob had disbanded and disappeared from sight.

" _Alright you can remove your shadows from me now Shade,"_ thought Di.  _"There is no one here."_

" _But Di, there is someone here,"_ answered Shade.  _"I can smell someone, and they are close. Wait… I know that smell! It's-"_

Shade wasn't able to finish her sentence because a sudden footstep caught both of their attentions. Di was startled when she was suddenly pushed down to the ground and something was pressed against her chest. She looked up and gasped when she saw a blood red eye staring down at her. The man smirked and cocked his head to the side, causing his silvery-white hair to shine slightly in the bright moonlight.

"What a surprise! Look who we ran into tonight Emily~," said the red-eyed man. "Well I guess this means that you are now It~"

 


	6. Chapter 5: Death By Smoke

"Well I guess this means that you are now It ~," Even though he could not see her eyes, Break could tell that she was staring at him with wide eyes. Not only had he caught her off guard; he caught her while she was still invisible to human eyes. He could also tell that the girl was still a bit shaken from earlier. He had been up on this roof watching the entire exchange between the girl and the Innkeeper, and he could honestly say that everything he saw didn't surprise him at all.

"Wh-where did you come from?" asked the girl in a shaky voice. "And how did you know I was here? I was invisible." To Break, her voice almost sounded strained and tight, like she had been crying a lot. Up on the roof, he was too far away from her to know if she had been crying next to the body, but everything about how she was acting now gave it away. Her body was shaking slightly and she was breathing heavily with her fists clenched tightly against the ground.

"Well I've been here the whole time," answered Break. "I saw you disappear down there and almost thought that you had gotten away, but then I heard some footsteps up here and my worries were extinguished. Really it was just luck that I got you."

"Ok so you caught me," said the girl in a tense and almost angry tone, which from what Break has seen of the girl, was very unlike her. "Now what are you going to do with me."

"Like I said back at the manor, I just want you to answer some questions for me," replied Break as he slowly removed his cane from the girl's chest. "After that, well, it all depends on how I feel ~."

"Fine, but first you have to answer a question of mine," said the girl. "I won't play nice if you don't."

"Hmm… I usually don't make deals with criminals," answered Break. "But since you don't seem like a normal criminal I'll do this one favor for you."

"I'll take that as a compliment," muttered the girl. "Now I just want to know if you saw who did this."

"I should have guessed you would ask something like that ~," chided Break. "But to get more to the point, I might have seen something."

"Then you have to tell me!" demanded the girl. "I have to figure out who did this!"

"I'll tell you everything I saw, if you tell me why Miss Elizabeth told me to give this to you," said Break as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver necklace. It had a pendant on it that looked like a crescent moon with two tiny stars on it, one on the top right and the other on the bottom left. In the moonlight, the pendant seemed to shine brightly.

"She gave that to you?" asked the girl in a breathless voice. "But… why… how?"

"Well I guess this is a bit confusing" mumbled Break. "Well then I guess I'll just have to tell you my story now and clear things up before continuing."

"That's funny," said the girl. "You seem like a person who gets likes to get what they want before they give to others."

"Now that's rude ~," replied Break with a pout and fake tears. "But I won't say that's not somewhat true. Anyway, I just asked that because I wanted to see if my little theory was correct, but the way you reacted to the necklace already gave me my answer, Miss Diana."

The girl gasped and asked quietly, "How do you know my name?"

"Oh Emily it looks like I was right," said Break cheerfully as he clapped his hands together softly. "Well if you would listen to my story, then it will all become clear to you."

"Fine go ahead," sighed Diana. "I just want to know what happened."

Break smirked and tapped his chin. "Well it all started about…"

* * *

_Thirty Minutes Ago…._

At night, Belidora seemed just a tad bit creepier to Break then it did in the daylight. The streets glowed eerily in the moonlight and the air seemed heavier than before. The buildings cast great shadows that seemed to loom over everything.

" _I'm already getting a bad feeling about this,"_ thought Break.  _"I should keep as quiet as possible."_

Break wandered the streets for nearly ten minutes without hearing so much as a sound in the seemingly deserted town. He was almost starting to worry that his target wouldn't show up tonight and he would have to stay in the town for another day. He had to wait in the Inn until moonrise, and it wasn't the most pleasant experience for him. Honestly, he would rather rest on the streets then return to that place again.

A soft footstep pulled Break out of his brooding, and stopped his dead in his tracks. He looked around, but he couldn't see where the footsteps were coming from. Slowly pulling his sword from his cane, Break closed his eyes and listened carefully. He could tell that the footsteps were getting closer and closer. He was about to swing around and face his stalker, but a familiar voice surprised him.

"Why Mister Break, I should have know I would see you tonight," said the woman. Break quickly sheathed his sword and turned to face Miss Elizabeth.

"What are you doing out so late Miss Elizabeth?" asked Break. "You know it's dangerous to be out here a this time of night."

"Oh you don't have to worry about me young man," laughed Elizabeth. "I know the dangers and I'm not scared."

"You are a brave woman Miss Elizabeth," complimented Break. "But sometimes it's best to be careful instead of brave."

"I don't need a lecture from you," huffed Elizabeth. "Any way, I came out for a walk because something in my mind just told me that I should."

"Your mind must want you killed ~," chided Emily.

"Please don't say things like that Emily," scolded Break. "I swear, you've been more cynical since we've come here."

"That's because this town stinks ~," replied Emily. Break sighed and decided to ignore the doll because he was thinking the same thing.

"Excuse Emily for being so rude Miss Elizabeth," said Break.

Elizabeth just laughed and said, "Don't worry I've heard worse. Now I know you are probably looking for trouble so it would be best if I leave you to your business."

"Well it would be rude to leave a lady on her own at night," said Break. "Why don't I escort you while your out. It wouldn't look good on my record if an innocent lady got hurt while I was here."

"Thank you Mister Break," replied Miss Elizabeth. "But I will be just fine. I can tell that you just want to finish this whole deal tonight and I don't want to get in your way."

Break was about to answer when another voice entered the conversation. "Well I think that's a good idea. Besides, it would be ten times easier for me to get rid of you both if you are together." A dark laughter rang in the air as a figure stepped out from the shadows. Break's eye widened when he saw the hooded figure of the thief.

"I didn't think you would show up so soon," said Break.

"Is that all you have to say to me?" asked the girl, fake innocence dripping from every word. "I thought you would be surprised to find out that I want to kill you."

"I do have to say that I'm surprised," answered Break. "But some things just don't turn out the way you think they will."

"Don't listen to her Mister Break," mumbled Elizabeth. Break turned to her in surprise and saw that she was glaring at the girl with pure hatred. From what she had said about the thief before, he never would have thought she would be giving her such a look of contempt.

"What's the matter Miss?" asked Break. This was one of those times when he was truly confused.

"That's not her Mister Break," replied Elizabeth in a shaky voice. "That's an imposter. I know it."

"What are you talking about old woman?" questioned the thief. "I'm not an imposter, that's a lie!"

"Then tell me your name," demanded Elizabeth, her anger taking a hold of her.

"I'm not going to tell you my name," snapped the thief. "It would be real stupid of me to tell others my name."

"You don't know it," said Elizabeth. "You won't tell me because you don't know the thief's name. If you were the real thief then you would have told me your name without hesitation."

Break looked at Elizabeth, his eye wide. "So you know the thief personally?" he asked.

"Yes I do Mister Break," admitted Elizabeth, slight guilt flashing in her eyes. "I didn't tell you before because I didn't feel it was necessary to. So you have to believe me when I say that this girl isn't the real one."

"I understand Miss Elizabeth," answered Break. He turned to the fake thief and asked, "If you aren't the thief, then who are you?" The girl stood there silently as the two stared her down. The silence remained for a few moments before the girl began to chuckle softly. That soft snicker started to grow until the girl was laughing loudly.

"Didn't I say that I was here to kill you?" chided the girl through her laugher. "I'm the murderer you morons!"

"That was quite obvious," replied Break. "I'm asking who you are, not what you are."

The girl's laughter subsided and she said, "Well instead of telling you, why don't I just show you?" Suddenly, the shadows around her began to move and engulf her. Once her body was fully submerged, the darkness started to take shape. Break began to see four legs come from the bottom of the creature, a tail sprout from its backside, and a head that resembled that of a wolf form on the opposite side of the tail. The creature's sized made it tower above Break. Bright red eyes opened and fixed themselves on Break and Elizabeth. The creatures lips curled back into a snarl, showing off shape white teeth that looked like they could cut through steel.

"The name's Smoke," it growled in a much deeper, masculine voice then before. "It's a pleasure to hunt you down."

"Ah so you are a chain?" said Break. "I should have guessed as much. So where exactly is your contractor?"

"I don't plan on telling you anything Hatter," snarled Smoke. "That's right, I know exactly who you are and no I'm not scared of you at all. I don't need to be when I'm such a powerful chain."

"Your vanity will be the end of you," replied Break.

"Vanity huh?" teased the chain. "It's not vanity if it's true."

"We'll see about that," mumbled Break. As he pulled his sword out from his cane and held it in front of him. "Give me everything you got!"

Smoke's lips curled back into what looked like a sinister smile and said, "I plan on it." The chain wrapped it's tail around in front of it pointed it straight at Break. It began to morph into a sharp blade. Smoke began to laugh once again as it lunged it's tail towards Break. He stood his ground and kept a firm grip on his sword as Smoke's tail got closer.

As the bladed tail was about to hit him, Break braced himself for the impact, but it never came. It wasn't until it was too late that Break realized that he wasn't the chain's target. The sickening sound of flesh being torn echoed in his ears. He quickly turned around and was astonished by the horror in front of him. The blade had pierced straight through Elizabeth's stomach, and her eyes had a dead look to them. The chain removed the blade from her and retracted it back to it's original length as Elizabeth dropped with a heavy thud.

"No…" whisper Break as he rushed to her side. "This wasn't suppose to happen." He looked back over at Smoke and yelled, "This was our fight, she had nothing to do with this."

"Are you deaf Hatter," laughed the chain. "I told you that I wanted both of you dead. That was just an opportunity that I couldn't miss out on." It looked like it was about to say something else, but its head raised and its ears started to twitch back and forth. Smoke snarled then said, "It would seem that there is unwanted company wandering around. I guess it would be best if I take my leave now."

"We aren't finished here!" yelled Break. "Don't you dare leave."

"Sorry, but I won't be caught Hatter," growled Smoke. The chain turned to leave, but hesitated at the last moment. "On second thought, there  _is_  something that I need to do before I leave." The shadows began to disperse from Smoke's body, and it appeared in the form of Elizabeth. Break clenched his fists in anger. That chain had the gall to imitate the person it just killed! Smoke smiled sadistically before it started to scream loudly.

When it stopped screaming, Smoke changed back into it's original form and said, "The whole town probably heard that scream Hatter. I would leave now lest people think you killed the poor old woman." It was then that the chain decided to leave Break. He was about to follow the blasted chain, but a weak hand caught his wrist.

"Don't go after it Mister Break, you won't catch it," whispered Elizabeth in a strained voice. Break looked down at her and saw that she was struggling to breathe.

"Don't talk, save your strength," said Break. "I'll go get you some help."

"You know that won't do Mister Break," mumbled Elizabeth. "I don't have enough time."

Break sighed and said, "I know."

"I know we just met Mister Break, but could you do something very important for me?" asked Elizabeth. Break nodded and she smiled. "Thank you. Take the necklace around my neck and I want you to give it to the thief."

"Of course" answered Break. He gently reached around her neck and unhooked the necklace. He lifted it away from her body and looked at the small pendent. It seemed familiar to him, but he just couldn't put his finger on it right away.

"Give that to her, she will know where it's from," whispered Elizabeth. Break had to listen carefully to hear her. Even though he was curious as to why she wanted to give this to the girl, he knew it would be inappropriate to do so.

"I promise I'll give it to her," said Break.

"Thank you so much," replied Elizabeth as her eyes began to slid shut and her breathing came to a stop. Break hung his head and his heart was heavy with grief. He only knew the woman for one day, but she was very kind, and she didn't deserve something like this.

"I'm so sorry Miss Elizabeth," mumbled Break. "I won't let your death be in vain." He didn't want to leave her there alone, but he wasn't about to get caught near her when the townsfolk arrived. Knowing them, they would probably think that it was him that did it and Break didn't want to have to deal with that right now.

Before he left, he pulled out the necklace again and stared at it. He knew this symbol, and it was bothering him that he couldn't remember. He was about to put it away and leave when it finally hit him. This was the symbol that he saw in the abandoned manor, so it had to be the Lunair family crest. And if Miss Elizabeth wanted him to give it the thief then that would mean….

Break smiled sadly as things began to come together in his mind. He took on last look at Elizabeth's body before he took his leave, and waited for the story to unfold before him.

* * *

"So that's what happened," mumbled Diana sadly as she clutched the necklace to her chest. "I just can't believe that she's gone."

"I tried to save her," said Break in a soft voice. "If you want to blame anyone, blame me."

"It's not your fault," replied Diana. "You weren't the one that killed her."

"Very well," answered Break. "So what are you going to do now Miss Diana?"

"I'm going to find that chain and make it tell me where it's contractor is," replied Diana. "I'm going to make it pay."

"That could be dangerous Miss," said Break. "I propose we work together on the matter, since I to want to see it dead."

"But how do I know I can trust you enough to work with you?" asked the girl. "How do I know you won't turn on me."

Break was about to answer, but a low growl interrupted him. "Looking for me won't be necessary." Two red beads appeared in the darkness and a dark chuckle rang in the night. "I've found you first."

 


	7. Chapter 6: We Fall Together

"Looking for me won't be necessary. I've found you first!"

Break's eye grew wide as he turned to face the chuckling chain. Smoke stepped out of the shadows slowly and leered mockingly at the two humans like they were flies that had got caught inside the spider's web. He bared his teeth into a crooked smile.

"I can't believe I actually got you two in the same spot at once," snarled Smoke happily. "This just makes my night easier." The chain paced back and forth menacingly, never once taking its eyes off its prey.

"Is that him?" asked Diana in a hushed, shaky voice. Break nodded slightly while he kept his eye on Smoke's movements.

"What are you two planning," growled Smoke. "Nothing you do will save you from your inevitable fate."

"Shut up you murderer!" screamed Diana angrily. "You framed me for your crimes you monster! And not only that, you killed Miss Elizabeth!"

"No YOU killed her," said a new voice that sounded familiar to Break, but he couldn't put his finger on who it was. "I saw it with my own eyes." A deep, mocking laughter echoed through the night.

"You're a liar! Yelled Diana as she stood to her feet. "It wasn't me, it was someone pretending to be me."

"Oh that's right," replied the voice. "It  _was_ us, wasn't it?" A figure appeared from the shadows around Smoke. Break felt the anger and annoyance boil inside him as he recognized the newcomer. It was the Innkeeper.

"So you're the chain's filthy contractor," said Break. "I had a bad feeling about you since I first laid eyes on you. It's a least a little comforting to know that my instincts were right."

"I can't believe it," whispered Diana. In a louder voice she asked, "Why are you doing this and why did you put all the blame on me?"

"I'm feeling a bit merciful today, so I guess I'll be nice ad answer your questions before I kill you," answered the Innkeeper condescendingly. "I'm doing this because there is something in the past that I don't want to happen. And no I won't be telling you anything about that matter. As for why I put the blame on you, well only an idiot wouldn't do so! Nearly everyone in this town despises you, so if someone blames you for something they will easily believe it. Really this town is filled to the brim with gullible idiots!"

"So you tricked everyone so that you could keep yourself clear of suspicion eh?" commented Break. "That's quite clever of you~."

"It worked like a charm!" answered the Innkeeper with a hint of satisfaction in his voice. "Now I can't let you go and tell everyone else about this so I'm going to have to kill you right here and now. Right Smoke?"

"That would be the smartest thing," snarled Smoke in agreement. "It won't take me long to deal with these little mice."

"As I said before, your overconfidence will be your down fall," said Break as he drew his sword.

"I'll kill you for what you did to Miss Elizabeth!" yelled Diana while she clenched her fists tightly. "She did nothing wrong and didn't deserve to be killed, and neither did anyone else you killed. I'll make sure you pay for all the innocent lives you've taken."

"I'd love to see you try you blasted girl," answered the Innkeeper contemptuously. "Now Smoke, get rid of that girl first and then go for the Hatter."

"If I remember correctly, I'm the one who gives the orders around here," growled the chain as it stepped in front of its contractor, blocking the Innkeeper from Break's view. "You're lucky that I was thinking the same thing."

Break turned his head slightly so that Smoke was still in his sight and Diana could hear him as he spoke quietly. "Be careful Miss Diana. Don't let your emotions drive your actions. This is a dangerous situation and one wrong move could get you killed. I hate to admit it, but this is a very powerful chain. You can't let your guard down."

"Alright Hatter," answered Diana. "I can get him, but I need you to distract the chain. If I can take out the Innkeeper, we won't have to worry about Smoke."

"Frankly, it would only take me a moment to kill both the chain and it's contractor, but that would mean using my own chain," replied Break. "It  _would_  make things simpler if I didn't have to, so I guess I'll go with this little plan of yours."

Diana simply nodded and began to step backwards out of Break's line of sight. He heard Smoke start to growl deeply, so Break guess that Diana had disappeared into the shadows.

"Don't you dare run girl," snapped Smoke. He began to walk forward slowly towards the spot where Diana was. He was crouched down as if he were about to strike at his prey. His red eyes glowed threateningly as his ears twitch back and forth, obviously trying to hear Diana's movements.

"Ignore her and face the real threat here," said Break as he jumped in front of the chain, stopping it dead in it's tracks. He raised his sword up to the chain's face and Smoke looked down at the blade. "You should focus more on what's in front of you instead of what's not there."

"Are you sure about that Hatter?" answered Smoke in a sarcastic tone. "Because I'd say the little human slinking stealthily behind me towards my contractor is the real threat here." Suddenly, Smoke whipped it's tail forcefully around and Break heard a strangled "Humph." Not soon after, a loud thud resonated through the air as a body hit the ground just behind Break.

"It looks like I swatted a pesky little fly," laughed Smoke as its eyes glittered with joy. "I'm one with the shadows as well girl. You can't get past me. All the other times you got away because I let you. It would have been stupid of me to kill you when I was using you as a decoy for my plans. I don't need you anymore, so this will be the last night you ever see!"

As the chain continued to wallow in his hollow victory, Break turned and saw Diana lying limply on the ground. Strands of stray black hair hung out from under the hood she word, and the only movement he could see was the shallow rise and fall of the girl's chest.

" _This isn't good at all,"_ thought Break as he rushed over to Diana's side.  _"I won't let anyone else die tonight by that chain's hand,"_

Break kneeled down beside Diana and gently moved the hood off of her head so that he could check for any injuries. He stared down at the face of a girl who looked like she was about 20 years old. Her shoulder length, jet-black hair was matted where a trail of blood flowed down her head. Break brushed the hair out of Diana's face so that he could find the cut, but the light contact caused her eyes to slowly flutter open. Bright green eyes looked up questioningly at Break.

"What are you doing," asked Diana. Her voice seemed to be strained and it was almost as if it was causing her pain to speak. "You should be dealing with Smoke and not me."

"Just making sure you aren't dead~," answered Break.

"Huh, how kind," replied Diana as her eyes slid shut slowly, and her head fell to the side. Her breathing seemed to become deeper, so it was obvious to Break that she had fallen unconscious.

Suddenly, a small voice spoke up from seemingly nowhere. "No wake up Di, you can't leave me all alone!"

Break glanced around, but he couldn't see anyone. Then, out of thin air, a small, shadowy fox appeared in front of Diana's face. Its beady silver eyes stared at the girl sadly, and it mumbled, "Please don't go…"

" _This must be the girl's chain,"_ thought Break.  _" It has an uncanny resemblance to Smoke, but this one looks a lot more friendlier. From the way it's acting I would say that it's quite attached to its contractor. It must be a chain just like Miss Alice with a personality of its own."_

"Ahh so I finally got you to come out eh little sister," growled Smoke. "It's so good to see you again." Break smirked inwardly. He knew they had to be related somehow, but he didn't' expect them to be related in that way.

"I'm not your sister you big monster," yelled the fox. Its lips curled back, showing pointed teeth. "I don't care if we came from the same thing, we are in no way related to each other."

Smoke started to laugh when he saw the confusion written all over Break's face. "It looks like we are confusing the Hatter. I guess it wouldn't hurt to explain it to him. That fox and me were born from the same chain, but not like the way you humans are born. Our father chain split himself into two parts, one full of good and one full of evil. I don't know the reason why he did that, but oh am I glad it happened. The only problem is that I am not whole, and I can feel that emptiness inside of me. The only way that I can become whole is to eat you, little Shade, and I plan on doing that right now."

With that last word, Smoke began to charge towards Shade, who was still standing next to the unconscious Diana. Quickly, Break picked up Diana, and jumped out of the way of the rampaging chain. Smoke snapped his jaws around Shade, but the fox had moved out of the way before it was caught.

"I won't let you kill me or Di," said Shade. "I'll kill you for what you did to her." Shade jumped up onto Smoke's back and bit down on its spine. He roaring in pain and swung his head around to bite at Shade.

"You can't defeat me you little shrimp," answered Smoke as he continued to try and get Shade. He whipped his body around, trying his hardest to knock her off of his back.

"Just watch me," replied Shade as she hopped off of Smoke and ran towards the Innkeeper, who was now cowering in a corner. He saw Shade running towards him and tried to run away, but the fox was much to fast for him. Shade caught up with him easily and jumped onto his shoulder. Smoke was no pelting towards his contractor, but it was already too late. Shade opened her mouth wide and bite down into the Innkeepers neck. He screamed in agony, and dropped down to his knees in pain. Shade released her jaws from his neck and leaped out of the way before Smoke could catch her.

"What did you just do!?" yelled Smoke as it to fell to its knees as it began to lose energy.

"My teeth are laced with an extremely powerful poison," answered Shade. "Anything that I bite dies in a matter of minutes. So that means you don't have very long until your contractor dies and you are sent back in the depths of the Abyss."

"You foul little thing," growled Smoke. "I'll get you for this if it's the last thing I do." As he spoke, the Innkeeper dropped to the ground, and he stopped moaning in pain. Almost as if on cue, Smoke's body began to disappear until it was gone completely.

"He's finally gone for good," said Break as the fox padded up to him.

"What are you going to do with Di?" asked Shade. "If you are going to hurt her I will have to bite you too. I won't let anything happen to Di."

"I will not harm the girl," answered Break. "I will be taking her with me back to my home in the morning."

"You can't take her away," said the chain defiantly. "This is Di's home, and you can't take her away from it."

"The last time I checked, she isn't wanted here," replied Break. "I'm not trying to steal her from her home, I'm just taking her to a place where it will be easier for me to keep an eye on her. She is still an illegal contractor, and that means that it is my responsibility to take her back to Milady. She hasn't killed anyone so she won't be punished, but in reality that isn't for me to decide."

"Fine, but I'm keeping my eye on you Hatter," said Shade. "I don't trust you at all."

"That's understandable," replied Break. "Well we best be going now. The sun will be rising in a few hours and I want to leave this horrible town as soon as possible."

"Very well Hatter," said Shade. "But just remember that I can kill you as easily as that Innkeeper. I know that Di doesn't want me to bite people ever, but I will if it comes to it."

"I have heard your warning before little fox," answered Break. "And don't worry, I don't plan on harming this girl."

" _Not until I find out all the secrets that she is hiding from the world.."_


	8. Chapter 7: Strange, Foreign World

`The night was going the same for Di as any night would. Shade and her go into the city, take some food, and then leave without anybody noticing. A simple list of chores that could be completed with quick ease. Every so often a group of people would chase her, but it was never really a problem or set back. Every night was the same and Di felt like it would stay that way forever.

But this night proved to be different.

Things were quiet, and for Di it seemed that nothing would go any different then normal. The streets were clear so Di felt no reason to hide in Shade's shadows. Even so, she still treaded cautiously and didn't make a sound.

Di had already gotten the things she came for, so she was currently making her way back to the manor. She was in a place where the buildings were far apart, and because nobody was outside Di figured it would be safe enough to walk on the street. It was also a much quicker route then trying to jump from the buildings.

"I can see the forest from here Di," said Shade as they neared the road out of Belidora.

"Looks like we are home free," replied Di. "Why don't you run on ahead and make sure nothings wait for us out there."

"Got it Di," replied Shade as she jumped from Di's shoulder and disappeared into the night. Di was about to follow her, but a sudden hand on her shoulder shocked her and caused her to stop suddenly. Her heart started to beat wildly and her throat tightened along with her entire body.

"My, my girl are you really that frightened of a harmless old lady like myself," said a kind voice, sprinkled with amusement. "I'm just here to say hello."

In one swift movement, Di jumped away from the hand and turned to face the speaker. She was surprised to see the elderly face of a familiar woman. The woman smiled and chuckled.

"You don't have to be scared girl," said Miss Elizabeth. "Like I said I just wanted to say hello to you."

"Why do you want to greet me?" asked Di. "I'm the bane of this town, why are you not trying to catch me or arrest me."

"Because when you get older, you start to see the world and it's people in a different way," answered Miss Elizabeth. "I don't see you as a bad person, just a misguided one."

"That still doesn't answer my question," replied Di. "That doesn't explain why you are talking to me now."

"Well girl, to put it simply you are just too coincidental." Di's body stiffened at Miss Elizabeth's choice of words, but she didn't wait for Di to respond before she spoke again. "Even though you know that people are aware of where you live, you are adamant about staying in that burnt down old manor, and it doesn't seem like you are willing to leave. 19 years ago was when that place was destroyed, and my daughter, son-in-law, and 6-year-old granddaughter died. 4 years after that, you appeared a girl who seemed to be around the age of 10. To me, that just seems all too coincidental. So I'm not here just to greet you, I'm here to ask you one simple question: How are you still alive, my little Diana?"

Di's breath caught in her throat. She could hear the sorrow and hope in Miss Elizabeth's voice. Di sighed, and pulled the hood off of her head, staring sadly at Elizabeth. "How long have you known it was me?"

"Not too long my dear," said Miss Elizabeth as tears started to fall freely from her eyes. "Really it was more of a guess at first, but as time went on, it became more apparent that the girl who was supposedly dead, lived."

"I'm sorry I never told you before," answered Di. "I didn't want to get you involved with my problems."

"That doesn't matter now girl," said Miss Elizabeth. "What matters now is that you are alive. Now come and give you old grandmother a hug."

Di could no longer suppress the tears in her eyes as she ran forward and fell into Elizabeth's arms. Two frail, but comforting arms wrapped around her shoulders. Di gently pushed her head into Miss Elizabeth's shoulder and continued to cry.

"It's alright my dear, there's no need to cry," said Elizabeth in a soothing voice. "You can come live with me now and you don't have to be alone anymore."

"But that's why I'm crying Grandmother," answered Di weakly. "I can't come back with you. There are still things that I need to do. I can't tell you what they are because I don't want to drag into this. I won't let you get hurt because of me."

"I understand my dear," replied Miss Elizabeth sadly. "But why didn't you come to me sooner? It would have taken a great weight off of my heart if I had known you were alive."

"Because I didn't want you to know that I was alive," answered Di as she pulled away from Elizabeth's embrace, and kept her eyes down. "Ever since  _that_  day I made a promise to myself. I didn't want anyone involved, so I pretended to be dead."

"You were such a young girl," mumbled Miss Elizabeth. "To be able to survive after an ordeal like that, and take care of yourself absolutely amazes me. I don't know what you have been through, or the things you are planning to do, but always know that I will be right here for you if you need me."

"Thank you Grandmother," replied Di. "I have to go now, but I promise I'll come and talk to you again some time soon."

"I look forward to it my dear," answered Miss Elizabeth.

"Before I go I want to give you something," said Di as she pulled the chain that hung around her neck up over her head. On it was a pendent shaped like the Lunair family crest. "This was mother's necklace. I wore it with me always, but I think it would be better if you kept it. And don't even think of telling me to keep it, because I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Thank you Diana," said Miss Elizabeth as she took the necklace from Di's hand. "If it were my choice I wouldn't have taken it, but you aren't really giving me a choice in the matter are you?"

"Not at all," replied Di. "Well I guess this is good-bye for now."

"Good-bye my dear," said Miss Elizabeth, her words laced with sadness. "And never forget that I will always be here for you."

_I will always be here for you…._

* * *

Di's eyes flew open and a foreign setting surrounded her. The porcelain white ceiling was blinding and bright sunlight shone in from a window. Di looked around the room and she noticed that it was well furbished. Obviously she was in a home of someone quite rich, or at least it seemed that way.

Suddenly a surge of pain washed over Di as her head started to pound She lifted her hand to rub her head, and she found that it had been bandaged heavily. As her senses began to come back to her, Di could feel her body aching all over. She sat up slowly, ignoring the splitting pain that coursed throughout her body. The covers of the bed slide down, and Di could see that she was wearing a plain white gown instead of her normal clothes.

" _Where am I?"_ thought Di.  _"Where's Shade? What in the world is going on?"_

"Ah it looks like the little princess has woken up~." Di jumped at the sudden voice, and her heart started to race.

"Who's there?" asked Di as she scanned the room for signs of life. "Can you tell me where I am?"

"Oh how rude of me," replied the strangely familiar voice. "It would seem that the girl is quite confused, wouldn't you say Emily?"

"Confused! Confused!," chimed a shrilly voice. Di sighed in relief when she recognized the name of the strange doll that the red-eyed man carried around. She realized that it was him speaking, but she was still wondering one thing: Where was he? Her question was answered when the door to the cabinet sitting in front of her opened and the strange man stepped out from it.

"Why were you in there?" asked Di as she raised an eyebrow at the man's odd behavior.

"That's a secret~," answered the man as he turned to face her. Di still felt awkward under his gaze, but she ignored the feeling.

"Then can you please tell me where I am?" asked Di for the second time.

"Oh yes well you are in the Rainsworth Manor in Reveille, Miss Diana," answered the red-eyed man. "I brought you here after you passed out. I thought that it would be a good idea to get you out of that town since you weren't very welcome there. You were asleep for quite awhile, nearly a day in fact."

"You mean the Rainsworth Dukedom?" asked Di, her eyes wide. She was definitely right about being in a rich home.

"That's the one," replied the man. "Oh I'm being rude again. I haven't even properly introduced myself." The man bowed slightly and said, "My name is Xerxes Break, but you can just refer to me as Break. I am a servant of the Rainsworth Dukedom, and a member of Pandora."

"Pandora? I've heard of about them," mumbled Di. "There were some people in town a many years ago that said they were part of an organization called Pandora, but they didn't really go into detail about what they did."

"Pandora is an organization that conducts research on the Abyss and the creatures known as Chains," answered Break. "They also handle matters concerning Illegal Contractors. It is our job to stop them and bring them into custody."

"You were calling me an Illegal Contractor before," said Di. "What exactly is an Illegal Contractor?"

"They are normal people who make contracts with Chains," replied Break matter-of-factly. "Civilians aren't allowed to make contracts because it is far to dangerous, and they tend to go on killing spree's when they contract Chain's. Pandora has a way of contracting that isn't Illegal, and that is the kind of contract I have with my Chain. I would explain to you how it works, but you already seem to know about it."

"What do you mean?"

Break chuckled and pulled out something from his pocket. It was a small mirror that had an intricate pattern etched into it. Di gasped and felt around her neck, but felt nothing. She knew that the mirror that Break was holding was hers.

"I'm guessing you picked this up from one of the Pandora members that came to your town," said Break. "I don't know why they would be carrying an extra one around, but I guess this makes it a little better for you since you aren't really an Illegal Contractor. That explains why you look so young even though you are over 30 years old. I would just like to know how you knew this was used for contracting Chains."

"I'm 35 thank you very much," huffed Di. " And I didn't know how to use it. When I found Shade, she saw the mirror and said that when she was in the Abyss, she saw other Chains being contracted with that mirror so she told me to use it."

"I see," said Break. "Well technically this means that you aren't really in any trouble in Pandora's eyes, but that doesn't mean that you aren't in trouble for robbery."

"I know," replied Di. "So what are you going to do with me?"

"That isn't for me to decide," answered Break as he started to absent-mindedly play with Emily. "It is up to Milady to decide what to do with you. I wouldn't worry too much though. She seemed quite fond of you when I brought you back, but I really don't know with Milady sometimes."

"Fond of me?" asked Di. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well you will just have to find out about that yourself," replied Break as he tossed the Cancere to Di, who just barely caught it. "Now if you don't mind would you please follow me. Milady wishes to speak with you now."

"Who is this Milady you're talking about?" asked Di.

"Milady Sharon is the one that I serve," answered Break. "Now if you are done asking questions, it would be best if we made our way to where she is now."

"Fine," grumbled Di. "You don't have to be so blunt about it." Di completely removed the covers from her body and swung her feet over the edge of the bed. She took a deep breath before she pushed herself from the bed and onto her feet. As soon as she did, Di began to feel dizzy, and she felt herself falling forward. She would have hit the floor, but she felt an arm stop her before she could. Di looked up drowsily, and saw a single red eye dancing with amusement at her blunder.

"It would seem that you aren't very balanced on your own two feet yet~," teased Break as a silly grin spread across his face and he started to laughed.

"Sh-shut up," stuttered Di as her face grew bright red from embarrassment. "You try walking after suffering from a head injury!"

"I'd rather not," chided Break. He sighed and said," Well I guess it can't be helped. You will have to hold onto my arm for support."

"No thank you," mumbled Di as she pulled away from Break, and straightened herself. "I can walk just fine on my own." She was able to walk a few steps forward, but the dizziness came back, and she had to stop before she toppled over again.

"I highly doubt that Miss Diana," said Break as he laughed at her again. Di could feel her face starting to heat up again and just turned away from the imprudent man. She felt a hand on her arm as he grabbed onto her, but she didn't try to pull away. "Milady would be angry if I let you hurt yourself even more then you already are."

"Whatever," sighed Di. "And you don't have to call me 'Miss Diana', just Diana will suffice for now."

"Milady wouldn't like it if I didn't treat guests with respect, so it is my choice to call you Miss Diana," answered Break. "Now come along, I don't want to keep Milady waiting for much longer."

Di nodded and allowed herself to me dragged along by Break. The corridors of the Manor were much fancier then her house was when it was in better condition. Intricate paintings hung on the walls and even the doors seemed to a much more sophisticated feel to their design. They passed by a large window, and Di could see a magnificent garden outside. She didn't have much time to look since Break was pulling her down the halls at a quick pace. She thought that she was going to fall over, but she tried her hardest too keep her balance and save herself the embarrassment that was sure to follow if she lost her balance again. Before she knew it, Break had stopped in front of a door that looked just like the others. He let go of Di's arm and knocked on the door.

"It's me Milady. Or guest has awakened and I've brought her here like you've asked."

"Oh good, come in," answered a young, feminine voice from the other side of the door. Break opened it slowly, and inside was a girl who was sitting at a table drinking tea. She had a very a beautiful purple gown, and her hair was tied up with a purple ribbon that matched the dress. The girl looked up at Di with bright light pink eyes, and smiled at her kindly.

"It's good to see that you are awake," said the girl. "My name is Sharon Rainsworth. It's nice to meet you."

"My name is Diana Lunair," answered Di. "I would like to thank you for letting me stay here while I recovered."

"It really isn't a problem," answered Sharon. "We have enough room here, and it would be rude of us to leave an injured girl all by herself. Now why don't you come and sit down and have a cup of tea with me?"

"Thank you very much," said Di as she bowed her head slightly, and took a seat in front of Sharon. Di felt that the girl was being very sincere in her words, but there was still something about her that gave Di the chills.

"I think I'll take my leave now Milady," said Break as he started to inch his way towards the door.

"I don't think that's a very good idea Break," said Sharon in a calm, yet threatening voice. The atmosphere around the girl had completely changed even though her voice stayed the same. Break gave an almost scared look, and stood firmly where he was.

"Very well Milady," he replied as he returned to Sharon's side. The thorny atmosphere dissipated, but Di could see that Break was still a bit frazzled. Di laughed inwardly as she figured out why she felt a bit scared of Sharon.

"So is there anything that I need to tell you about myself?" asked Di. "I'm a guest in your home and it is only appropriate that I answer any questions you have about me."

"No, Break has already informed me about you," replied Sharon. "And don't be frightened, I won't have you arrested for your crimes."

"And may I ask why?" asked Di. "I have done nothing to you for you to reward me with such kindness."

"Because you don't seem like a bad person Miss Diana," replied Sharon. "You just seem misguided, and I want to help you find your way again. I know that seems odd since we just met, but it would be wrong of me not to help someone who needs it the most."

" _I don't see you as a bad person, just a misguided one."_

Di's eyes widened as she recalled the dream that she had before she woke up. She felt her eyes grow warm as tears began to fall.

"What's wrong Miss Diana?" asked Sharon with concern. "Did I say something to upset you?"

"No it's nothing," replied Di. "I was just remembering something, that's all."

"I understand," said Sharon. "If you ever want to talk about anything, I'll be here to for you."

"You don't know how much I'm indebted to you," mumbled Di.

"You don't owe us anything," replied Sharon. "We want to help you, not hurt you, so don't hesitate to ask for anything. Break, I want you to take care of Miss Diana while she's here. You two are already aquatinted, so it would be best if he was the one to look after you. He'll show you around while you get used to being here."

"But Milady-"whined Break, but Sharon interrupted him before he could finish.

"What did I say about arguing with me Break," said Sharon, the threatening air around her growing stronger.

"I guess I forgot," replied Break. "Well then Miss Diana, I think we should take a tour around the house."

"Ok," said Di. "But first I want to ask where Shade is. I didn't want to call for her because I didn't really know what was going on at first. She hasn't tried to contact me herself, and she wasn't with me when I woke up even though she usually stays right by my side."

"Your Chain is in good care," answered Break. "She is currently with some of the other's that live in this house. I have no idea where they are at the moment, but I can promise you that they won't harm your little Shade."

"That's good," sighed Di as she stood to her feet. "Now let's get this over with so I can go back and rest. My head is killing me and walking isn't really fun right now either."

"Very well Miss Diana, just follow me and I'll try and do this quickly," replied Break.

"Good, because being around you for too long might drive me crazy."

"How meeeean~."

"Ugh, this is going to be a long day isn't it…"

"It sure is~."

"Well this is just great."

"Your going to hurt my feelings~."

_I can already tell that this is going to be an interesting stay in this strange, foreign home. Somebody help me now…._


	9. Chapter 8: Truth Of the Matter

After about an hour of chasing after Break as he raced down the halls showing Di all the important rooms in the Rainsworth Manor, they had arrived back at the room they had assigned to Di. To her, the manor was absolutely magnificent in every way. It was so bright and beautiful. It reminded Di of her home when it was still intact.

As soon as she stepped into the room, she immediately fell back onto her bed. She was exhausting from trying to keep up with Break, and her head was still pounding from a headache that just wouldn't go away. Break didn't make it easy on her at all.

"Oh it looks like someone is a bit tired eh Emily," chided Break.

"I wouldn't be if you had slowed down just a tiny bit," snapped Di. It was obvious to Di that Break wasn't too happy about "baby-sitting" her. He wasn't really trying to keep it a secret. "Anyway, I'm going to take a nap so you don't have to stay here and watch me. I would actually prefer it if you weren't here while I sleep."

"Oh I never planned on watching you Miss Diana,' replied Break. "But if it isn't too much to ask I would like it if you stayed awake for just a little while longer. There are a few questions that I would love to ask you about your past if you don't mind answering them."

"I don't mind at all," said Di. "Talking about things like that don't bother me. Plus I owe it to you guys for letting me stay here when I have done nothing to deserve it. It wouldn't be right if I kept my past from you."

"Well that's good," replied Break. "And I was here thinking that you would cause me trouble on the matter."

"Glad to hear," mumbled Di as she sat up and faced Break. "So what do you want to know first?"

"How did you live through that night while everyone else died?" asked Break. Di felt uncomfortable under the stare that Break was giving her as he awaited her answer.

"It's a long story," said Di as she took a deep breath and began her tale. "It was a dark night, darker then any I've ever seen. I was already asleep by the time hell broke loose. The only thing I really remember was being shaken awake by my parents in the middle of the night. I was so confused as to what was going on, and both of them were panicking. The last thing they said to me was that they loved me and that I should run as far away from the house as possible. I was too young to really understand what was going on, so when they tossed me out of the window I did exactly what they said. Even so, I couldn't help but turn around and see the house lit in a brilliant blaze."

"So your parents sacrificed themselves to save you, how noble of them," said Break, his gaze moving to the floor.

"Yes they did, and for that I am eternally grateful," said Di. "They gave me a life to live, and I will never throw it away."

"You don't give up easily, that's good," mumbled Break. "Now how did you survive on your own for so long?"

"Well it wasn't easy that's for sure," answered Di. "I was lost in the forest for nearly a day, and I almost died. Fortunately I wandered right back home just in time. I was so happy because I thought my parents would be there waiting for me when I got back, but I was so wrong. The house was completely empty, and it was then that I realized that I was all alone. I didn't know what to do, and I thought that I was going to die. Luckily, some parts of the house were still intact. The kitchen was one of those parts, so I still had food for a while."

"What did you do when you ran out things to eat?" asked Break. He had looked back up at Di, and his eyes were full of interest.

"We had a lot of food at the mansion so I had enough to survive for a few years on my own. In that time there were a few people that came by, but I was so scared that they were going to kill me that I hid away. Thieves came to rob the house of its remaining treasures, and that's when I learned that I had to take to survive. So when there was nothing left, I decided that I was going to the town for the first time in years. I'm one that learns from watching, so I did exactly what I saw those thieves do. I snuck around and made sure that no one was looking when I took something. Eventually I became infamous throughout the town because I was so young, and couldn't be caught."

"So you only took what you needed to survive?" asked Break.

Di laughed nervously, and said, "Well for the last fifteen years yes I did, but not when I was younger. You see, when you are all alone you have a lot of time on your hands to think. Most of the time I thought about the fire, and how much I hated the person who did it. And with all the thieves that came to the mansion I just began to hate people and all that they stood for. So out of spite I began to take the things that were precious to other people. Rings, scarves, hats, anything. I just took anything I saw on the people that were wandering around at night. That's the reason the town hated me so much, and I really don't blame them. That whole episode went on for a whole ten years."

"What made you change your views on things?" asked Break.

"Well I met Shade of course," answered Di. "I was just wandering around in the forest when a small hole formed on the ground and Shade popped out. Having her with me really set me on the right path, but I knew I couldn't make up for the things I had done before."

"I've never heard of a chain putting someone on the right track, only the opposite," said Break.

"Well Shades different then any other chain," replied Di with a huff.

"That was quite obvious by her over-protectiveness of you," said Break. "She wouldn't let me out of her sight when I was bringing you back here."

"That's Shade for you," said Di. She was about to say something else when a small black bundle ran into the room, and jumped up onto Di.

"Di you're awake! You're awake! I'm so happy, I thought you wouldn't wake up. I was so scared!" shouted Shade as she rubbed her head against Di's.

Di laughed happily, and said, "Well there you are. I was worried about you when I couldn't find you. You have really great timing you know, we were just talking about you."

"Reallly? What were you saying about me?" Shade swung her head around to face Break and glared at him. "Mister Hatter wasn't talking bad about me was he? Do I have to smack him with my tail."

"No, no," laughed Di as she patted Shade's head. "I was just saying how amazing you are."

Shade turned back to Di and licked her face. "Well I wouldn't be anything without you Di."

"I can say the same to you," replied Di. "So what have you been up to that kept you busy while I was asleep?"

"There were some people that I met, and they were really nice," answered Shade, her tail swinging back in forth merrily. "They showed me around, and we played outside in the garden for a little while to!"

"That sounds like a lot of fun Shade," replied Di. "So where are your new friends."

"I told them that I wanted to come and check on you, and they followed me here, but they are a lot slower then I am," said Shade. She sniffed the air and said, "Oh they are almost here."

As soon as Shade said that, three figures appeared in the doorway. One was a young girl with long dark brown hair, and purple eyes. She wore a lovely red coat, with a large bow on it, and a short black skirt. The other two were boys, both of different ages. The taller, older looking boy had messy black hair covered by a black hat, and beautiful gold eyes. He wore a long black overcoat, a white shirt, and black pants. The last was a shorter boy, whose blond hair fit well with his emerald green eyes. He wore a long sleeved white shirt with a brown vest over it. He was also sporting a nice red tie, and he wore dark green shorts.

When the young blond saw Di, he smiled brightly and waved. "Hello there, you must be Shades contractor." He bowed his head slightly. "My name is Oz Vessalius, it's very nice to finally be able to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you as well. My name is Diana Lunair, but you can call me Di, and I must stay it is an honor to be talking to a member of the Vessalius family," replied Di.

"Hello Miss Di," replied the black-haired boy. "My name is Gilbert Nightray." He pointed over to the young girl and it seemed to Di like he grimaced a bit. "And this is Alice."

Alice waved her fist in the air at Gilbert and said, "Oi Seaweed Head you don't have to introduce me I can do it myself."

"Well excuse me for being courteous," snapped Gilbert. "And don't call me Seaweed Head you Stupid Rabbit!"

The two immediately got in each other's face, and began spitting insults at each other. Oz tried to stop them, but to no avail. He sighed and then turned to me with a sorry look on his face. "I'm sorry about them. They don't really get along and when they start fighting it's hard to make them stop."

"It's no problem," replied Di with a smile. "It's actually quite amusing."

"Oh it was worse before," said Shade as she jumped up onto Oz's head, making the boy laugh. "Mister Raven accidentally knocked a piece of Miss Alice's meat on the ground, and she nearly bit his head off."

Di laughed and said, "Well I wish I could have been there. You'll have to tell me more about it later." She turned to Oz, and said. "I really do have to thank you for watching over Shade while I was asleep. I know that she can worry a lot about me when I'm hurt, but having you around seemed to have calmed her down."

Oz rubbed his head in embarrassment, and said, "Oh it was nothing. It was actually Sharon that asked us to watch over her, but I'm really glad she did because Shade was great fun. Anyway, do you want to come and play with us in the garden? Shade wanted to come and check on you, but we are planning on going back and spend some more time relaxing in the sun."

Di shook her head and said, "No I'm still a little tired, and I was planning on taking a nap. My head still hurts and some sleep might help. We can talk more at a later time, if you want to."

"Of course! We still don't know each other that well, and if you are staying here to then we should learn more about each other," replied Oz happily.

"Sounds like a plan," answered Di. "Shade why don't you go and play with them again, it will be boring if you stay with me."

Shade leaped off of Oz's head and landed on Di's lap. "But I want to stay here with you. If you are going to take a nap them I'm going to take one with you."

Di sighed, and rubbed Shade's head. "If you insist then I can't stop you." Shade barked happily, and jumped off of Di's lap so that she could curl up against her side. Di couldn't help but smile at the chain.

"Well I guess well leave you now," said Oz. Gilbert and Alice had finally calmed down, but they were still glaring at each other. Gilbert nodded his head at Di, but didn't say anything. Alice just stood there with a sour look on her face. She was obviously too preoccupied with her anger at Gilbert that she didn't feel the need to say anything.

"Good-bye everyone," said Di. She waved at them as they left the room and shut the door. "You can leave now too-" started Di, but she stopped mid sentence when she realized that Break was no longer in the room anymore. She hadn't noticed him slip out of the room before.

"What an odd man," mumbled Di as she slid down back under the covers and pulled Shade closer to her. As she did, one of Shades eyes popped open all of a sudden.

"It was nice to play with new people Di," whispered Shade in a tired voice.

" _Playing with Oz and the others must have really sapped all the energy out of her,"_ thought Di. "Yeah it's the first time for you wasn't it."

Shade nodded her head, and said, "I really like them Di. They are nice, and they don't look at me differently because I'm a chain."

"Yeah I think they are nice people too Shade," replied Di. "It's weird being around people again, but I think I can get used to it."

"I hope so because I like this place," said Shade. She yawned widely and nuzzled her head against Di's neck. "I'm so sleepy Di."

Di rubbed her chin against Shade's head and said, "Me too. Sleep well little Shade." Shade said nothing in return because the chain had already fallen into a deep sleep. Di laughed silently at the sight, and then closed her eyes to let sleep engulf her once again.

" _You know… this place isn't half bad. Oh I do hope that it stays that way…."_


	10. Chapter 9: Flames of the Past

Break had seen his opportunity to slip out of the room, and he gladly took it. Miss Diana was preoccupied with Oz and the others, so Break used that distraction to leave. Quickly and quietly, he sneaked past Oz, and got away without being noticed by anyone. He looked back before he bolted away from the now crowded room to make sure that he wasn't being followed. After babysitting that girl all day, he really just need some time to himself.

Even though he didn't like the idea of looking after Miss Diana for a while, he unfortunately had to deal with it. He couldn't go against Sharon's wishes, no matter how much he so wanted to. He would just have to cherish the short moments that he had to himself, seeing as he would have to escort Miss Diana all the time now.

As he thought of Diana, he couldn't help but notice that she wasn't acting like she did when he first met her in the burnt manor. She was so childish and giddy, but now she seemed very serious and solemn. But Break couldn't blame her since her Grandmother just died, and now she had to live in a completely new place. He also noticed that the girl was abnormally thin. When he had picked her up, she was as light as a feather, and he could easily wrap his hand around her wrist. Her cheeks looked unhealthily hollow, and there were bags underneath her eyes.

 _"Milady is going to get onto her about that,"_ thought Break with slight amusement.  _"She's probably going to feed that poor girl to death."_

Break passed by one of the large windows, and through it he saw that the sun was now slowly sinking down from the sky. He had spent longer then he had anticipated to show Miss Diana around the house. He smiled to himself as he remembered how she had been so interested in the small things that were littered across the house. It made him laugh when she blamed him for taking so long when she was the one holding him back.

"What are you doing Break?" A sudden voice pulled him from his thoughts, and he looked up to see Sharon looking at him with a cross look and her arms on her waist. "Shouldn't you be watching after Miss Diana?"

"She's sleeping now Milady," answered Break calmly. "I don't think you want me watching her while she is sleeping right~?"

"Of course, that would be very inappropriate," huffed Sharon. She sighed and then asked. "Now, you must be tired from this whole ordeal, so why don't you go and get some rest Break."

Break blinked in surprise and said, "Very well Milady." He had to admit that he was exhausted since he had been up since the fight with Smoke the night before. He walked over to Sharon and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you Sharon."

"I just want you to feel better Brother Xerxes," replied Sharon in a small voice. "So please go get some rest."

"I will Sharon, don't you worry," replied Break as he lifted his hand off her shoulder. He waved his sleeve at her and said, "Don't keep yourself awake worrying about an old man like me." Sharon said nothing in return, she simply nodded and went on her way. Break watched her until she turned a corner and was unable to see her anymore. After that, he slowly made his way to his quarters so that he could finally shut his tired eyes, and wait for the new day to arrive.

* * *

_It was all around her. The sound of shouts and screams echoed through the air, and Di was absolutely terrified. She kept her eyes closed tight, and she dug herself into the safe haven under her blankets. Di could feel the heat starting to rise, but she didn't want to come out from her covers. She didn't understand anything that was going on, but she knew something was wrong, and she just wanted her parents to come and save her._

_Her prayer was answered when she heard her door swing open, and she could hear two pair of footsteps enter her room. The steps came closer to her, and she felt two soft hands on her back. Pulling the covers away from her face, she saw the face of her Mother. It was full of panic, and there were tears streaked all over her face._

_"Diana, my dearest child," said her mother, her voice cracking with every word. "Diana you have to get out of here my baby. You need to get as far away from this place as you can."_

_"Mother, what's going on," replied Diana. Seeing her Mother crying was making tears of her own fall from her eyes. "Mother.."_

_"Don't worry about it Diana," said her father as he bent down to kiss Diana on the forehead and the nose. "Just please listen to your mother. You must get away."_

_"But Father, what about you two," cried Diana. "You are coming to right?"_

_"I'm sorry my dear, but we can't come with you," replied her mother between sobs. "You have to go alone._

_"But why," screeched Diana. "I don't want to be all alone."_

_"You won't be alone," assured her father. "You must always remember that we love you. We both love you so much, and no matter how far away we are from each other, we will be with you."_

_"I don't understand, how can you be with me when you aren't around?" questioned Diana, her vision becoming blurry from her tears. She grabbed her mother's hand tightly, and pulled it up to her face. "I don't want to go."_

_"You have to child," said her father sternly, surprising Diana. "You must get away." He too was now crying, and he pulled Diana up into a tight hug which her mother joined in on. "We love you Diana, and we can't let you stay here."_

_"But-" started Diana, but she was interrupted by her mother's hand on her mouth._

_"Please don't argue with us Diana," said her mother. Suddenly, she took off the necklace that she was wearing, and put around Diana's neck. "Take this Diana, and us it to remember us by."_

_"Y-yes mother," stuttered Diana through her sobs. She wrapped her small arms around both her parents neck tightly. She wouldn't have let go, but her parent's pulled her away from them and looked her straight in the eyes. Then they both kissed each of her eyes, and each of her cheeks, and her forehead._

_"We love you so much our dearest child Diana," said her mother as she took Diana up in her arms, and stood to her feet._

_"Don't you ever forget," said her father as he opened up the small window beside her bed._

_"I won't, I promise," replied Diana as she was pushed through the small opening and onto the soft forest floor. Without another thought, she got to her feet quickly, and ran as fast as she could away from her home. Her eyes stung from her tears, and she could barely see the trees in front of her. She continually tripped over the roots and the night gown she wore soon became torn and dirty._

_Diana's small legs didn't get her far before she collapsed from exhaustion. Loud sobs escaped her mouth and her body shook violently. She turned back towards her home, and her eyes grew wide. Because her eyes were so full of tears, she didn't notice the bright light that illuminated the night._

_"No... No.. MOTHER! FATHER!" screamed Diana at the the top of her lungs. Her home, the only one that she knew, was set on a brilliant blaze. The manor was completely engulfed in the flames. The fire licked at the skies, and bounced onto the trees that surrounded the manor. The heat of the flames began to creep closer to where Diana sat, and she knew that she had to get far away, just like her parents wanted her to._

_"Please, don't leave me all alone..."_

* * *

Di's eyes burst open in a panic as her horrible nightmare finally came to an end. She gasped short breaths of air, and her head felt uncomfortably light. As her senses came back to her, Di realized that there were tears in her eyes. Her throat was dry, and swallowing was hard.

"Di, are you alright?" came a small voice. Di rubbed the tears out, and slowly sat up on the bed. She looked down and saw Shade standing next to her legs. Shade climbed up onto Di's lap, and looked up at Di with eyes full of worry.

"I'm just fine Shade," replied Di weakly. "I just had a bad dream that's all."

"It must have been bad, because you were tossing and turning a lot, and you kept mumbling things. Then you started crying, and I got really worried about you Di."

Di laughed lightly and patted Shades head softly. "You don't have to worry Shade, really I'm fine. It was just a dream, that's all."

"If you say so," replied Shade, though there was obvious disbelief in her voice, but Di paid no mind to it.

Di yawned loudly, and stretched her arms high above her head. She glanced over at the window and saw some light piercing through the curtains. "What time is it Shade?" asked Di.

"It's early morning," replied Shade. "I don't know the exact time, but the sun just rose."

"I was asleep for a long time," said Di absent mindedly as she continued to stretch her body awake. "Is anybody else awake?"

"I don't know, are we~?" asked a new voice all of a sudden, causing Di to jump in surprise. She breathed a sigh of relief when she recognized the voice as Break's.

"Well thank you for answering my question  _Shade_ I really appreciate it," replied Di sarcastically. She heard Break laugh in amusement as he crawled out from under her bed and dusted himself off.

"You're quite welcome," answered Break with a huge grin plastered on his face. Di scoffed at the man, and looked at his appearance. He was already dressed for the day, but his hair was still messy and in his face. His half-lidded eye was filled with a mixture of amusement and impatience, and his unwavering gaze made Di feel slightly uncomfortable.

"If you are going to come into my room every morning, can you please knock before you come in," said Di, annoyance laced in her words. "I'm not used to having people intruding in on me while I'm asleep."

"But that's no fun," whined Break in a childish voice. "But if you insist, then I will have to comply. It wouldn't be good for me if you went to Milady complaining about this sort of thing."

"Good, now that that's settled, can you please leave me be so I can get dressed?" asked Di.

Break hummed quietly and tapped his chin in thought. "I guess I can, but I can stay if you want to."

"No get out," replied Di as she tried her hardest not to yell at the man. Break just laughed at her reaction and turned towards the door.

"Now don't take to long," said Break, waving his arm in the air at Di. "Milady wants us down for breakfast, and I don't want all the cake to get eaten before I get there." Before Di was able to answer him, he walked out of the door and shut it gently behind him.

"That man is incredibly irritating," said Di through clenched teeth. "I wish Sharon wouldn't have made him my escort."

"I don't like the Hatter," agreed Shade with a nod of her head. "He makes my shadows crawl."

Di sighed and said, "Well we shouldn't let his majesty wait on us much longer, he might get even more annoying." She swung her feet of the side of the bed, and carefully put her feet on the ground. Di remembered what had happened the day before, and decided that it would be best if she didn't rush herself to her feet. Pushing herself off the bed, Di felt her head go light for a second, but it cleared and she was able to stand on her own.

She walked slowly towards the closet on the opposite side of the room, and opened it to find many beautiful dresses. Di decided that it would take to long to put on one of the fancy dress, so she opted to wear a simple green gown that she found. She wiggled out of the white night gown that she was in, and quickly pulled the green one over her head and onto her body. She wiped out the wrinkles in the gown before she was satisfied with her appearance. With slight hesitation, she made her way over to the door, and took a deep breath before she opened the door into her first real day in the Rainsworth household.


End file.
